Klarinet Archive - Posting 000226.txt from 2002/10

From: Karl Krelove <karlkrelove@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Marching band --- not what I expected
Date: Sun, 6 Oct 2002 11:09:05 -0400

> -----Original Message-----
> From: William Wright [mailto:w9wright@-----.net]
>
> First of all, the competition did not include even one Sousa march or
> football fight song. One of the winning bands (they won every award in
> their class, a clean sweep) performed a "Flamenco Suite For Marching
> Band", and they were accompanied by a flamenco vocal and two flamenco
> dancers. Other bands played opera overtures, symphonic and ballet
> excerpts, and the sort of music that you'd expect to hear at a "pops
> orchestra" concert.
>
> The show included an extended French horn solo, several flute solos,
> several trumpet solos, and a very strong clarinet solo that never left
> the chalumeau register but maintained concert quality tone throughout
> and ranged from 'fff' to 'ppp' without wavering or going flat (or
> sharp).
>

But here's my problem with all of the arguments that, essentially, offer
these kinds of exhibitions up as proof that marching band can provide
rewarding musical experiences. Was there anything in the musical content
that you heard (and found so impressive) that couldn't have been done at
least as well in an indoor venue or, at least, on an outdoor stage with
creature comforts like chairs and some degree of acoustical support? That
marching bands can approach concert groups in precision of execution and
range of repertoire doesn't, in my own view of things, improve the logic of
making them the central focus of a great many high school (and probably
college) instrumental music programs for nearly half the school year. It is
the stranglehold retained by marching activities on school music programs,
not the character of marching competitions and exhibitions themselves, that
causes a great deal of the "I hate marching band" syndrome you hear popping
out so often.

The participants in CDI competition are, presumably, involved because they
enjoy doing what they are doing. Many students in school marching band
programs have either been conscripted because marching is required for
participation in the rest of the program, or they've been bribed (at the
college level) by stipends that approach making the activity a salaried
position. My question, as an educator dealing with marching band as an
essential part of the school music program, is whether or not the students
actually get *more* in musical terms from the marching band than they would
from a concert ensemble, given the same rehearsal and performance schedule
and financial resources for equipment. Or, put another way, do the marching
and the stadium contribute anything *musical* to the experience of playing
all that music you've described?

Karl Krelove

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